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Global overturning circulation underwent significant changes in the late Miocene, driven by tectonic forcing, and impacted the global climate. Prevailing hypotheses related to the late Miocene deep water circulation (DWC) changes driven by the closure of the Central American Seaways (CAS) and its widespread impact remains untested due to the paucity of suitable records away from the CAS region. Here, we test the hypothesis of the large-scale circulation changes by providing a high-resolution record of DWC since the late Miocene (11.3 to ~2 Ma) from the north-western Indian Ocean. Our investigation reveals a progressive shift from Pacific-dominated DWC before ~9.0 Ma to the onset of a modern-like DWC system in the Indian Ocean comprising of Antarctic bottom water and northern component water during the Miocene-Pliocene transition (~6 Ma) caused by progressive shoaling of the CAS and suggests its widespread impact. Deep ocean circulation plays a crucial role in controlling global climate. What caused on-set of modern like circulation in geological past remains unknown. New research finds constriction of the Central American Seaway caused on-set of modern-like circulation in Indian Ocean since the late-Miocene (~6 Ma). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]